Beijing

A story of a builder

As one of Henrik Ibsen's most significant and revealing works, The Master Builder will be on stage, starring renowned Chinese actors Pu Cunxin and Tao Hong with English subtitles. In the play, Halvard Solness becomes the most prominent builder by a fortunate series of coincidences. With years elapsing, he begins to doubt his own gift and worry about his legacy. Then a young, teasing woman turns up, and everything changes mysteriously.

7:30 pm, Dec 3, 4. Capital Theater, 22 Wangfujing, Dongcheng district. 4000-567-522

Little Boots shake

Hot British electropop singer Little Boots will shake Beijing, her last stop of a world tour. Topping the BBC's Sound of 2009 poll, she is one of a recent wave of breakthrough women artists in their 20s playing 1980s-influenced music. Her hits include albums like Hands and Illuminations. This is her second visit to China.

9 pm, Nov 27. Yugongyishan, No 3-2. Zhangzizhong Lu, Dongcheng district. 010-6215-9844

Arte Povera artist

Jannis Kounellis, the representative artist of Arte Povera modern art movement, brings his works to China. On display are his works produced from porcelain shards, porcelain bowls, white cloth and steel plates. The heart of the decades-old Arte Povera movement has been a group of Italian artists who attacked the corporate mentality with an art of unconventional materials and style. They often use cast-off objects to break down the conventional constraints set by "high" art.

10 am-8 pm, until Dec 13. Hall 1, Beijing Today Art Museum, Building 4, Pinguo Community, 32 Baiziwan Lu, Chaoyang district. 010-5876-0600

Shanghai

Modern drama

New Dragon Inn, a play adapted from the 1996 martial-arts movie of the same title, tells a story of love and revenge. Original choreography and martial art scenes will be the highlight of the show. Director Wang Yang will spice it up with humorous puns and bilingual jokes. Popular contestants from the China's Got Talent show will join the show.

7:30 pm, Dec 1-15. Shanghai Theater Academy Theater, 630 Huashan Lu. 021-6248-5600

Lens on artist's life

Polaroid photographs by American contemporary artist and film director Julian Schnabel, director of Basquiat and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, are exhibited. The Polaroid series relates a sort of diary of the past 10 years of the artist's life. Schnabel has taken photos of famous figures such as Takashi Murakami, Lou Reed, Placido Domingo and Mickey Rourke.

11 am-11 pm, until Dec 8. 18 Gallery, 4F, 18 Zhongshan Dongyilu. 021-6323-8099

Capturing fashion flair

Fashion photographer Chen Man is having a solo exhibition. Through the lens, the photographer has captured movie stars, celebrities and fashion icons, and her photos have published in many fashion magazines. Chen seeks the unique character of a person and presents it through a novel perspective.

10 am-9:30 pm, until Feb 7. Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art, 231 Nanjing Xilu, 021-6327-9900

Hong Kong

A week of design sense

Making business sense out of creative endeavors has long been what Hong Kong is known for. This year's edition of Business of Design Week features a partnership with Germany's top design talents, with speakers including Mercedes Benz' Olivier Boulay and Hangzhou native He Jianping of Berlin-based Hesign. A number of sister events such as the Technology for Design Seminar, DesignEd Asia, Brand Asia and the Hong Kong Design Center Annual Awards Gala ensure that the week intrigues anyone interested in how design affect our daily lives.

Nov 28-Dec 3. The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, 26 Harbour Road, Wanchai. 852-3151-8900

Clowning around

Indulge your childhood fantasy of running away to join a circus at Cirque Mechanics Birdhouse Factory. The Las Vegas act was inspired by the slapstick antics of Charlie Chaplin, the motifs of Mexican artist Diego Rivera and the cartoons of Rube Goldberg. The fun combines elements of theater and dance in an unlikely setting: a factory where the workers are acrobats and the machines are circus props. Trapeze artists, unicyclists, contortionists and other usual suspects spice up a show with surprises that include a giant wheel and birdhouses.

Nov 30-Dec 11. Lyric Theater, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, 1 Gloucester Road, Wanchai. 852-3128-8288

Macao

On your Marques

What do you get when super cars are paired with the ultimate in lifestyle products? Top Marques Macao, the inaugural edition based on the splashy Monaco event, promises test drives in some the automotive industry's latest innovations. Slide behind the wheel of the Shelby Tuatara to experience true adrenalin, or check out the latest models from Lamborghini, Ferrari and Maserati. Alongside sexy vehicles will be exhibitions of luxury watches, jewelry, art and yachts to show how the other half lives.

10 am-6 pm, Nov 27. The Venetian Macao, Estrada da Baia de N. Senhora da Esperanca, s/n, Taipa. 853-2882-8818

(China Daily 11/27/2011 page15)